Prince Harry was in a reflective mood as his week-long tour of South Africa came to a close on Thursday. The 31-year-old was given a guided tour of Nelson Mandela's former offices in Johannesburg, where he was immediately drawn to a picture of his late mother Diana, Princess of Wales.
Diana met Nelson Mandela during a private visit to South Africa in March 1997 – just five months before her tragic death. A photo of their meeting lay among a number of other documents and artefacts from the world leader's life, but understandably Harry was initially focused on finding out more about his mother's time in South Africa.
© Photo: Getty ImagesPrince Harry was drawn to a photo of his late mother
Gazing at the photo of them together, the Prince said: "Happy smiles, big smiles."
Verne Harris, director of The Nelson Mandela Foundation, said: "The Prince was drawn to the picture of his mother, he went straight to it when he walked through the door. He wanted to know when it was taken."
© Photo: PADiana met Nelson Mandela in March 1997
During his time at the offices, Harry also met with Nelson Mandela's widow Graca Machele. The 31-year-old held the the statesman in high esteem and it emerged he marked Nelson's death by planting the South African flag at the South Pole.
Harry presented Graca with a picture of the moment he planted the flag soon after Nelson's death on 5 December 2013. The Prince was trekking in the South Pole as part of the Walking with the Wounded South Pole Allied Challenge when the leader died, while his brother Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge were watching the London premiere of Nelson Mandela: A Long Walk to Freedom and were told the news as the movie ended.
© Photo: Getty ImagesHarry met Nelson Mandela's widow Graca Machel
It was the Prince's final day of engagements in South Africa, and culminated a week-long trip that saw him carry out a number of tasks including opening his charity Sentebale's new children's centre in Lesotho, playing tag rugby with a group of children in Durban, and joining the fight against poaching at Kruger National Park.
